Rules and Rulers
by Genuine Terrestrial Show
Summary: On a slow day, Dom and Eric fly some paper airplanes in the lab. Sam catches them and reports them to Callen, who takes a leaf out of Gibbs book. WARNING: contains corporal punishment/discipline. Completed.
1. Rules Broken

Title: Rules and Rulers

Word Count: 991

Genre: Drama/Hurt/Comfort

Rating: T

Characters: Team

Warning: This story contains corporal punishment/discipline. DL,DR guys.

A/N: Hey all! I'm pretty sure that there aren't any CP/D fics for this fandom yet, so I guess that makes me something of a pioneer. Or maybe not.

I hope you all enjoy this humble offering to the gods of fanfiction.

Rules Broken

It was a day that even a turtle would find slow at the Los Angeles branch of NCIS. Stacks of backlogged paperwork were grudgingly being acknowledged, and an air of boredom hung in the air like a bad smell.

Callen and his team were resignedly trudging through work. Sam had his feet on the desk, leaning back as he examined a report with a frown. Kensi was absently tapping her foot as she wrote with precise penmanship. Callen worked diligently away, as he had twice what the rest of them had. He looked up when he heard a chair scrape back.

Sam walked over to where Dom was sweating over some report. Sam set the report he'd been reading down, pointing something out to the new agent while speaking in a voice too low for Callen to hear. He guessed it wasn't good news though, because Dom looked crushed. Dom reluctantly picked up a pen as Sam walked back to his desk, scratching something out and sighing in frustration. It was not the first time Sam had rejected the report.

* * *

Sometime later, they all looked up at a buzzing sound. Dom dug around in his pocket for his vibrating phone, and flipped it open to see that Eric had texted him. _Come up to the lab; I have something to show you... just you._

Curious, and more than willing to step away from the (he swore) evil report, he decided to beat feet for Eric's lab.

"Eric wants to see me." He said, trying not to sound too happy.

Callen smiled knowingly. "That's fine. In fact, I think we could all use a break."

"I sure could. Putting up with your face all day is hard work!" Sam grinned.

Kensi made a cat noise; Dom missed Callen's comeback as he ran up the stairs.

The door to the lab was closed, which was unusual. He gingerly opened the door, slipping in and closing it behind him. Eric whirled around, sighing in relief as he recognised him.

"Geez; maybe I should have told you to knock! I thought you were Hetty busting me."

Dom looked down. "Wow; new agent and already I'm great at going undercover." Eric rolled his eyes. "So what's up?"

"Well, I got bored catching up on paperwork. So I decided to make it fun." Eric's eyes were gleaming.

"Oh yeah?" Dom strolled over to see what Eric was doing. There was a large stack of blank paper in front of one of the small screens in the lab. It had on it a webpage that boasted hundreds of paper airplane designs.

"Dude! I haven't made those in ages!" Dom started scrolling through the designs. "Hey, I remember some of these."

"Good. I figured you'd appreciate this." Eric looked pleased.

"Do I ever." Dom slipped a sheet off the pile and started folding, eyes flicking up to the screen every now and again.

After several minutes, they had a veritable army of planes. The two took turns throwing them, aiming for the door. They soon lost track of time, immersed as they were in the 'fun paperwork'.

One plane veered way of course, bouncing off one of the touch screens. Eric winced, and he ran over to check if there was any damage.

"Is it okay?" Dom asked anxiously. He suddenly felt a jolt of fear, realising that this probably wasn't the best past time at work, especially in a room with million dollar equipment.

"Yeah." Eric visibly relaxed. "I think maybe we should get back to work." He glanced at his watch. "Crap! It's been two hours..." he said guiltily.

"I think you're right." Dom looked at the many failed flights leading up to the door. "Just one more?" he held up on that was particularly well built.

Eric hesitated. "Well, I suppose on more can't hurt." He decided. Dom aimed and fired, glee turning to horror as mid-flight the door opened. Sam stepped into the room just as the plane reached its destination, smacking him square in the forehead.

Both Dom and Eric's mouths dropped open in horror. "S-sam, I'm so sorry." Dom managed to stammer. "I didn't mean... I wasn't-"

"Save it." Sam bent down to pick up the airplane, now crumpled at the tip. "I wondered where you were for two hours instead of doing that report, and I find you in here with Eric acting like middle schoolers. Both of you clean this place up before Hetty sees it. _Now_." Neither agent nor tech had ever seen Sam this angry or humourless; they hastened to obey. Soon the planes were stuffed into a garbage bag and tied up.

"Dom; let's go." Sam motioned for the door.

Dom miserably made his way over, stopping when he heard Eric call out "Wait! Dom wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for me." Dom turned, mouthing behind Sam's back 'Don't!'

"Fine. Let's go." Eric followed Dom out; they winced as they heard Sam shut the door loudly behind him.

The noise attracted the attention of the agents in the bullpen; Callen got to his feet when he saw Sam's face. At the bottom of the stairs, Sam said "Stop." They did so instantly. "Go wait outside by Callen's car. _Do not_ go anywhere else."

"Yessir."

"Yessam."

They scurried off. Sam pinched the bridge of his nose as Callen walked over. "What happened?"

"They were making and flying paper airplanes." Callen frowned, in a 'yes that's bad, but why are you so angry?' sort of way. "In the lab." Callen's frown deepened.

"You coming with?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. I'll catch up; I'm gonna explain to Kensi and Nate." Nate had come out with his own stack of files and was now surveying the scene with a mixture of scrutiny and confusion. Kensi didn't look much different.

Callen nodded, walking through the maze of corridors to his car. This was not going to be fun.

~TBC

A/N: I was going to make this a one shot, but I think it will be better if I split it up. Thanks for reading!


	2. Ruler

Title: Rules and Rulers

Word Count: 2339

Genre: Drama/Hurt/Comfort

Rating: T

Characters: Team

Warning: This story contains corporal punishment/discipline. DL,DR guys.

A/N: Two readers PM'd me, successfully guilting me into finishing this story. I did actually have part, if not all, of the second chapter written up, but it was somehow lost. Fair warning, my writing style is not the same as it was when I initially started this story, but I do feel bad about never finishing it. So, hopefully this brings some closure to those of you who wanted it.

Rulers

"Well," Dom attempted a nervous smile, "Nice working with you." They were standing beside Callen's car, as ordered, and Dom wished they could climb inside so the A/C would dry the nervous sweat breaking out all over his body.

"Yeah." Eric sighed glumly. He knew they weren't going to be fired, or killed. But it was best for Dom's sake that he not mention what was going to happen. As it was, he was worried the new agent was a flight risk. At this point, it was the worst possible thing either of them could do, as Eric knew painfully well from experience. It had taken a long time for him to just trust that everything would be okay if he listened to Sam and Callen. The first time.

Dom straightened as Callen came marching out, opening his mouth to apologize. "Get in the car." Callen cut him off before he could say a word. Dom swallowed hard, following Eric into the backseat. He automatically sunk down as the car glided out of the parking lot, as if people watching would know that he and Eric were sequestered to the back because of Callen's anger. He very much felt like a child again, somehow small despite the fact that his legs were somewhat cramped. His body was too big for the space, but Dom himself was not.

It was unnerving, the drive to Callen's place. Of course Callen took a random route so no one would follow him, but Dom couldn't help but wonder if he was deliberately prolonging their arrival. He had no way of gauging if this was correct, as in his fearful state, he couldn't hope to accurately estimate the passing of time. But when he dared to glance at the clock in the car as they were pulling up to the house, he realised Callen had made exceptional time. He was eager to tear into them, then.

Callen got out of the car first. "Let's go." He watched them both carefully, leading the way up to the house. Dom just desperately wanted to be accepted, he wasn't going to run. He opened the door, ushering them both inside. Eric kicked off his shoes, and Dom quickly followed his example. "Dom, corner. Eric, corner."

Eric quickly made his way to the corner in the living room. Dom took a little more time, looking around curiously. The front hallway was short, quickly opening up into a living room to the right, with an open door to the kitchen on the left. Ahead the hallway continued, and he could see doors to other rooms. The whole place was simple, modern, practical, at a first glance a good reflection of their leader.

"Dom." Callen snapped, and the young agent scrambled to the corner adjacent his friend, heart pounding. "Good. Now I want you two to do some thinking before Sam gets here. Don't move until I come get you." He moved to the kitchen, trusting that they'd stay put. Eric knew better, and Dom would be in shock for a while yet.

Dom stared at the paint, closely examining the texture. Some sort of cream colour, no variation. The floor underneath his socked feet was hardwood; yellow birch if he had to guess. There was no TV in the living room, only a couch and a coffee table. Callen didn't spend much time here then, especially with guests, or his entertainment was tucked away elsewhere.

So was this all he used the place for? Taking his team away from the office for a little heart to heart? Every time Dom thought about what would happen, his heart pounded, because while he could imagine, he wasn't sure he wanted to. They were currently being treated like children, so that led to some frightening conclusions.

Dom swallowed hard as the door opened. Sam. He resisted the strong urge to peek, just wanting whatever this was to be over with. He strained to listen as they talked in low tones in the kitchen, but of course those two were well practiced in ensuring they thwarted eavesdroppers.

Footsteps again, coming closer, and a light tapping noise of something hitting an open palm. "Eric." Dom mentally groaned, shifting as his friend was called from his temporary prison first. "You know why we're here?"

"Yes, Callen." Eric was subdued, without his usual exuberance. While he was never defiant, he was hardly obsequious either, so to hear him be notably respectful was odd, almost terrifying. Dom's stomach gave another lurch of fear, further dreading what was to come.

"Why don't you tell me why we're here?" Callen's voice was calm, almost gentle, inviting.

"I- we- I convinced Dom to break company policy-" Eric began.

"You sure about that?" Callen's voice took a firmer edge. "You made Dom do it, is that what you're telling me?"

"Well, no." Eric sounded somewhat flustered. "I asked him to blow off some steam with me and he said yes. We… flew paper airplanes in the Ops center." He sounded a little embarrassed to admit that aloud. "Which was completely out of line and unprofessional and I'm very sorry, Callen."

"Glad to hear it, Eric. Give me your hand." Dom swallowed hard. Why-

Smack! Dom risked a glance back to see what was going on, grateful to be behind the couch. Eric was standing before Callen, hand palm up, wincing at the sting of the ruler Callen was holding. "How many airplanes would you say you threw?"

"Dozens?" Eric winced again. "Callen, I-"

"We'll round it down to a dozen." Callen flexed his hand. "I don't like doing this either, Eric."

"I know." Eric's eyes dropped, the guilt clear on his face.

"Alright, eleven more." Dom returned his gaze to the corner, not wanting to see the rest. "Now, I know you know you screwed up," Smack! "But just to be clear," Smack! "The next time you want to have a little fun," Smack! "You come find me," Smack! "Or Sam," Smack! "And you say something. You do not," Smack! "Screw around," Smack! "Around essential, government equipment and waste time," Smack! "Especially when you're involving," Smack! "An agent," Smack! "Still in training." The last smack was no harder than the rest, but Dom swore he heard a sob when it was done. "Alright, Eric, we're done." His voice was soft now. "Go see Sam." There was a brief rustling of clothing, and then Eric left the room. "Dom."

Eric flexed his sore hand as he stepped into the kitchen. A schoolboy's punishment for a schoolboy's fun; it was painful, certainly, but he was glad Callen hadn't decided this was worth a more personal punishment. "Sorry, Sam." He apologized to the other senior agent, grinning sheepishly.

"Apology accepted." Sam smiled back, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Come on, why don't you take a rest before we head back."

"Suuuure!" Eric knew full well it hadn't been an offer or request. Sam led him down the hallway, to the room with the wide bed he knew well. Eric lay down on top of the sheets since the day was still warm, closing his eyes. Sam's weight settled on the edge of the bed, a warm hand descending on his shoulder. His glasses were pulled lightly off his face, set on the bedside table. Eric, drained, began to doze off with little trouble, and he swore he felt a feather light kiss on his forehead before sleep claimed him.

Dom swallowed hard as he left the corner, feeling like there sure as hell should be a visible tail between his legs. "Did I say you could look?" Callen asked casually, as though that was very well a possibility, and silly him, he'd entirely forgotten.

"No." Dom fought the heat rising to his face. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me." Callen tapped the ruler against his hand lightly. "Tell me why we're here."

"Because I screwed up." Dom tried not to sigh, because that was apparently all he could do. In Sam's eyes, he knew that was definitely true.

"Yeah, you did." Callen gave a small laugh, shaking his head. "What if Hetty had found you? You think she'd be impressed?"

Dom nudged the floor with his foot, urging it to open up. "No Sir."

"Callen." He corrected him lightly. "We're a team, Dom. This is how we handle stuff like this. Doesn't go through Hetty, doesn't go on record… Sam knows, and I know, and you know. But when this is over…" He waved the ruler. "Slate's wiped clean."

"Sounds… kinda nice, actually." Dom gave a nervous laugh.

"Good. Hold out your hand then." Callen didn't laugh with him.

Dom sighed, hesitating, his hand shaking slightly. He couldn't quite bring himself to open up his fingers entirely, but a sharp smack to his knuckles convinced him to try harder. "Ow!"

"Yeah, it's supposed to hurt." Callen agreed. "Dozen for you too, unless you don't think that's fair."

"Well-" He was supposed to screw up, wasn't he?

"Yeah, I think twenty's more fair for you." Callen nodded, pursing his lips slightly. "Just to make sure you get the message."

"Wha-" Dom yelped as the first smack hit, his arm jerking back.

Callen raised an eyebrow at his attempt to hide his hand. "You can turn around and bend over if you'd prefer." He shrugged.

Tears sprung to his eyes as he held out his hand again, so Dom looked down at the floor. "S-sorry…" He yelped again as the ruler descended once more, driving Callen's disappointment home. He punctuated his lecture with smacks, ensuring that Dom wasn't going to forget his words. "There was no excuse… for your behaviour today. So if you want us to trust you… don't waste our time." Dom coughed, trying to hide a sob. "You wanna act like a kid… do it on your own time. Sam and I… expect more from you." At the mention of Sam, Dom tried again to yank his hand away, burning up with shame. His hand hurt like hell, the sting burrowing inside his skin like furious ants. "Dom!" Callen forced his chin up, staring into him with icy blue eyes. "Keep your hand up." Dom shakily obeyed, praying for the rest of the hits to be over quickly. "So if we ever… catch you doing something like that again… you're not getting the option of bending over… got it?"

"Yes." Dom rasped, trying to do the math in his head; was it over? He moaned as the ruler fell again, the pain resounding in his hand like the guilt bubbling up in his chest. Yet, as the last smack fell, the fire in his hand blazed, eating away the shame tearing him up. "I'm so sorry…"

"I know." Callen tossed the ruler aside, squeezing his shoulder. "Go see Sam." He nudged him towards the kitchen, not letting on that he was just as relieved at Dom that his punishment was over.

Dom was reluctant to cross the threshold to the kitchen, dreading the look on his mentor's face. "Your hand hurt?" Sam asked with a smirk.

"Yeah…" Dom flexed his hand, rubbing it against his pants to try and work out the sting. "I'm sorry Sam, I didn't mean to let you down again."

Sam threw his arm around his shoulders, shaking his head. "You only let me down when you stopped trying, Dom. Come on, get some rest. We'll finish that report when we get back." He led Dom to same room as before, watching as he got settled beside Eric. He shot him a friendly smile, shutting the door behind him.

Dom stared up at the ceiling, his mind running in eight different directions at once. Sam had certainly yelled at him before, lectured him, as had Callen. But he'd never been taken home, physically punished, then tucked into bed. Okay, not quite tucked, but the affection in Sam's eyes as he left the room was clear. "Eric?"

"Hnnn?" His friend rolled over, blinking at him. He looked different without his glasses (duh, who didn't?).

"So that's… well all this is normal for you guys?" Dom laughed, since that seemed the only way to release the nervous energy inside him.

"Yep." Eric laughed too. "It's definitely a lot more scary when you get in trouble with those two, but I don't know… it's worth it." Eric flexed his hand, thoughtful.

"Makes you feel like part of the team." Dom grinned. "Kensi and Nate get this too?"

"Kensi, oh yeah." Eric grinned. "Just don't ask her about it, she'll probably kill you."

"I'd probably kill me." Dom admitted. "Not something I'm eager to share."

Eric laid back in satisfaction, happy to finally have someone to share his misery with. A partner in crime! He was sure there'd be future incidents, despite their best efforts, and it was nice to think that Dom would be by his side for at least a few of them.

~Fin


End file.
